Northern Ontario developments!

[F. Lionel]

Tom Jones is building something along the western entrance to Nipigon, in behind the hospital.

The MTO is razing more houses along 11/17 between Hurkett and the Black Sturgeon River.

Lowe's has announced the closing of their Thunder Bay store. No announcement from the mall about what their plans might be for the large anchor space.

[Dengler Avenue]

“ The MTO is razing more houses along 11/17 between Hurkett and the Black Sturgeon River.”

Do you commute between T Bay and Dorion for work? You seem to know everything that’s happening along that stretch.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

“ The MTO is razing more houses along 11/17 between Hurkett and the Black Sturgeon River.”

Do you commute between T Bay and Dorion for work? You seem to know everything that’s happening along that stretch.

Some of us live in the North and travel the highways you fantasize about.

_____________________________

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbu...work-1.5360828

I will never understand how people up here that are elected do not understand that winter conditions comes in October and November.


____________________________________________

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbu...date-1.5352896

At least they planned on winter for the Place Des Arts in Sudbury. Still wish it had at least 1000 seating capacity.

[TbayON]

Originally Posted by F. Lionel

Tom Jones is building something along the western entrance to Nipigon, in behind the hospital.

That'll be the new Flying Post First Nation administration office I believe.

===========

Lowe's exit from Thunder Bay was just a matter of time. I wouldn't be surprised if the company pulls right out of Canada entirely at some point in the future, all other things equal. What would happen with Rona I don't know. Neither Lowe's or Home Depot in Thunder Bay have had much success in tapping into the contractor business.

[vid]

Thunder Bay is a weird market, only the already established local businesses are allowed to exist. It's always been this way, going right back to when we snubbed Bell because they snubbed us and set up our own phone system.

Everyone wants it to be a Costco. It's not large enough to be a Costco. Won't happen.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by TbayON

That'll be the new Flying Post First Nation administration office I believe.

===========

Lowe's exit from Thunder Bay was just a matter of time. I wouldn't be surprised if the company pulls right out of Canada entirely at some point in the future, all other things equal. What would happen with Rona I don't know. Neither Lowe's or Home Depot in Thunder Bay have had much success in tapping into the contractor business.

I'm thinking that Lowe's may soon only have Rona stores in Canada and maybe they will sell it at some point in the future. The Lowe's stores were too big for many places where they opened. Rona's reputation has taken a beating and may dwindle.

The Home Depot in Timmins also doesn't do well with contractors. It's a big store for Timmins and I am surprised that it has lasted awhile now. I like the store for its selection so I hope it doesn't go.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by vid

Thunder Bay is a weird market, only the already established local businesses are allowed to exist. It's always been this way, going right back to when we snubbed Bell because they snubbed us and set up our own phone system.

Everyone wants it to be a Costco. It's not large enough to be a Costco. Won't happen.

We don't have Bell either, well at least in name. We had Northern Telephone in both Cochrane and Temiskaming Districts since the early days. But Bell bought the company quite awhile back and ran it separately as a subsidiary and charged customers higher rates than those of Bell. It is now called NorthernTel and is terrible.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by TbayON

That'll be the new Flying Post First Nation administration office I believe.

===========

Lowe's exit from Thunder Bay was just a matter of time. I wouldn't be surprised if the company pulls right out of Canada entirely at some point in the future, all other things equal. What would happen with Rona I don't know. Neither Lowe's or Home Depot in Thunder Bay have had much success in tapping into the contractor business.

We have a Flying Post First Nation in our area but nobody lives on the reserve. I guess the land wasn't good from what I've read.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I'm thinking that Lowe's may soon only have Rona stores in Canada and maybe they will sell it at some point in the future. The Lowe's stores were too big for many places where they opened. Rona's reputation has taken a beating and may dwindle.

The Home Depot in Timmins also doesn't do well with contractors. It's a big store for Timmins and I am surprised that it has lasted awhile now. I like the store for its selection so I hope it doesn't go.

From the list, nothing in Sudbury is closing. I almost think that Thunder Bay is about the smallest for those stores that you would want, but they also have Home Depots in North Bay and Sault St Marie. The one in Bracebridge confuses me, but it likely appeals to the cottage owners from down south that know the company already.

Originally Posted by Loco101

We don't have Bell either, well at least in name. We had Northern Telephone in both Cochrane and Temiskaming Districts since the early days. But Bell bought the company quite awhile back and ran it separately as a subsidiary and charged customers higher rates than those of Bell. It is now called NorthernTel and is terrible.

Bell does and has existed up there. I know there is a Bell store in the mall.

[F. Lionel]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Do you commute between T Bay and Dorion for work? You seem to know everything that’s happening along that stretch.

I do live in Dorion and commute the highway between Nipigon and TBay multiple times a week. It's a beautiful drive but can be dangerous as hell given the traffic and weather.

Case in point: There was a snow storm this week and plowing was poorly done. My wife pulled out of the Dorion side road and onto 11/17 only to lose traction 2 minutes later and roll her vehicle into the ditch. She's ok - only bumped and bruised. But even the attending OPP officer said that the plowing wasn't being done properly and this accident was solely due to the highway conditions.

I hope that next year brings something in terms of highway enhancement. The CP overpass at Ouimet and the approaches need to be replaced - desperately.

Originally Posted by vid

Thunder Bay is a weird market, only the already established local businesses are allowed to exist. It's always been this way, going right back to when we snubbed Bell because they snubbed us and set up our own phone system.

Everyone wants it to be a Costco. It's not large enough to be a Costco. Won't happen.

I've had to explain to my boss (who is based out of Toronto & Scarborough) that there is a "Thunder Bay" difference when dealing with local tradespeople and local businesses. Multiple times I've had to do this. I've reminded him that the reason my company moved me back home was for this intimate understanding of the local market. He just can't wrap his head around the fact that the local company who has been around for 30 years, owned by a local family, is often times more COMPETITION for us than the other national retailer down the road.

Everyone wants the big national brand to open shop here... but mostly they don't shop there. Ever. Not unless there is some sort of massive discount available, of course.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by F. Lionel

I've had to explain to my boss (who is based out of Toronto & Scarborough) that there is a "Thunder Bay" difference when dealing with local tradespeople and local businesses. Multiple times I've had to do this. I've reminded him that the reason my company moved me back home was for this intimate understanding of the local market. He just can't wrap his head around the fact that the local company who has been around for 30 years, owned by a local family, is often times more COMPETITION for us than the other national retailer down the road.

Everyone wants the big national brand to open shop here... but mostly they don't shop there. Ever. Not unless there is some sort of massive discount available, of course.

Generally speaking, if you are a repeat customer at a small place, they discount things for you. I even see that at a local Ford dealer. I get all my work done for my truck there and if I ever need something outside of an oil change, they always discount me on parts and labour. They know me on a first name basis, and I have only been going to them for 3 years.

[vid]

Originally Posted by F. Lionel

He just can't wrap his head around the fact that the local company who has been around for 30 years, owned by a local family, is often times more COMPETITION for us than the other national retailer down the road.

Thunder Bay is a small, isolated town. We don't take too well for foreigners around these parts.

Originally Posted by F. Lionel

Everyone wants the big national brand to open shop here... but mostly they don't shop there. Ever. Not unless there is some sort of massive discount available, of course.

With the desire for national brands, it's definitely the discounts that they're looking for. And I think people here generally aren't going to be thrilled with a 5% drop compared to the local company they have a relationship with; they're looking for 25% to 50% cheaper, minimum. If the local company costs 5% or 10% more than the big box store, they're going to stick with the local company because they know them.

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Generally speaking, if you are a repeat customer at a small place, they discount things for you.

And this is something that big businesses never do. A small local business won't mind selling something near or even at cost to a friendly local business because they know at some point, they'll get something similar in return. Everyone has each other's back and they're always networking and sharing their experiences. Another thing is that a lot of people who own businesses up here are aware of the phenomenon of suppliers from "the south" sending us their shit. The good local business owners here are filtering out "the shit" and ensuring that when you buy something from them, you don't have to go back in a year to buy another one because it broke. They know selling crap is going to make them look bad and hurt their chances of success. At my work we're keeping water coolers running for 20+ years. Walmart sells them for half the price but once they break, Walmart's customer becomes our customer, because Walmart's response to the poor quality is just "Welcome to Walmart!" People here don't want to buy a chain saw and be out in the bush and it breaks because they were sold a piece of crap by a big box store. You go to one of the local companies and spend $100 extra for something that's going to last a decade longer, and if it does break, you can bring it to them and they'll fix it. That aspect of business is crucial in Thunder Bay. If you don't offer that, your only customers will be the ones that go to you because they're too poor or too financially illiterate to understand the benefits of paying a little more for a better product.

[Dengler Avenue]

Is it like that in other parts of Northern Ontario too?

[vid]

I think so but less extreme.

[Loco101]

I'd agree with that.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

From the list, nothing in Sudbury is closing. I almost think that Thunder Bay is about the smallest for those stores that you would want, but they also have Home Depots in North Bay and Sault St Marie. The one in Bracebridge confuses me, but it likely appeals to the cottage owners from down south that know the company already.



Bell does and has existed up there. I know there is a Bell store in the mall.

Even though Bell has owned almost 100% of NorthernTel for about 50 years,
it was only a few years ago that the retail store was re-branded from NorthernTel to Bell. Even Northern Tel Mobility existed until a few years ago and is now Bell Mobility here. The landline telephone service still operates under the NorthernTel name. I think it's because some sort of CRTC regulation but I'm not 100% sure. But Bell has been allowed to charge a lot more under the NorthernTel name. They used to have a monopoly but have lost a lot of customers with competition. I have Eastlink landline service which is through the fibre-optic cable and costs much less and is in a bundle package with TV and Internet. I also have Eastlink for my cell service.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Is it like that in other parts of Northern Ontario too?

Originally Posted by vid

I think so but less extreme.

Depend on who you ask. We are getting more like the south in that we want the cheapest crap possible.

[vid]

That must be why crap gets sent up to the north by Southern suppliers. They think we want cheap crap too, so they send us cheap crap.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by vid

That must be why crap gets sent up to the north by Southern suppliers. They think we want cheap crap too, so they send us cheap crap.

The grocery stores in Timmins get the worst of the fruits and vegetables. It's really sad. We often don't even get things that are normally found in groceries stores if the suppliers or warehouses don't have enough. The warehouses in the GTA give priority to the South while we get the worst.

It's not the same in Rouyn-Noranda which is supplied from the Montreal area. They have much better and fresher stuff.

Is T-Bay similar to Timmins when it comes to the poor quality or lack of produce?

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The grocery stores in Timmins get the worst of the fruits and vegetables. It's really sad. We often don't even get things that are normally found in groceries stores if the suppliers or warehouses don't have enough. The warehouses in the GTA give priority to the South while we get the worst.

It's not the same in Rouyn-Noranda which is supplied from the Montreal area. They have much better and fresher stuff.

Is T-Bay similar to Timmins when it comes to the poor quality or lack of produce?

I wonder what the quality of goods is like in Amos or Normétal, whichever town you hit first after ON-101 turns into QC-388.

Ps: I always find it confusing that ON-101 and QC-101 serve neighbouring area yet that they’re two completely different highways.